REPRESENTATIVES FROM DANE COUNTY SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN FINES AND FEES JUSTICE BOOTCAMP WORKSHOP

February 07, 2022
Colleen Clark-Bernhardt
County Board

Representatives from Dane County have been selected to attend the Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee Justice Bootcamp later this month. The workshop is intended for local jurisdictions interested in advancing local fine and fee reform.

"In our ongoing commitment to equitable communities it is important to learn from other units of local government and national experts to make sure we are incorporating best practices and ideas that are innovative and truly equitable," said County Board chair Analiese Eicher.

Representatives from Dane County will include County Board Chair Analiese Eicher who also Chair’s the Dane County Criminal Justice Council, Clerk of Courts Carlo Esqueda, Marsha Mansfield, Director of LIFT Wisconsin and LIFT Dane, and Colleen Clark-Bernhardt who coordinates the Dane County Criminal Justice Council.

"Fines and Fees have been an area of study and change in Dane County for a number of years—and we have already changed some practices in our courts. I look forward to exploring new strategies to expand reductions of fines and fees, while at the same time maintaining our level of quality court services, as well as ensuring that people experience accountability for their actions," noted Clerk of Courts Esqueda.

Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee Justice is a leadership network of teams made up of government and community representatives from specific localities across the country. Teams are awarded grant money and access to policy, research, and data experts to advance cutting-edge fine and fee reform in their localities.

"LIFT Wisconsin is honored to be included as part of the Dane County Team at upcoming Fines & Fee Justice Bootcamp. We see every day the negative impact of fines and fees on Dane County’s residents, particularly our BIPOC community, that reinforces the cycle of poverty and punishment. We look forward to being part of Dane County's creative efforts　to explore ways to handle fines and fees that avoid placing the severe financial consequences on our residents," said Marsha Mansfield, Director of LIFT Wisconsin and LIFT Dane.

The bootcamp will provide:

• An overview of the problem of government reliance on fines and fees
• A training on the　Roadmap to Equitable Fine and Fee Reform　framework
• Deep dives on specific reform issue areas, including roundtable conversations with policymakers and advocates leading on these reforms
• Actionable tools and resources to advance reform
• A walkthrough of the application process to join the second Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee Justice cohort. Cohort teams are awarded grant money and access to policy, research, and data experts to advance cutting-edge fine and fee reform in their localities.

Learn more:

Dane County Criminal Justice Council: cjc.countyofdane.com

LIFT Dane: https://www.liftwisconsin.org/

Policy Link: https://www.policylink.org/bootcamp-overview